HiFiMAN HE-1000

I write this as I'm letting my HE-1000 V2 go; this is more a short comparison of how I experienced my HE-1000 V2 versus my HE-6se V2 while owning them both and not necessarily a thorough breakdown of their abilities.

When you have a new HE6 and it's not fully burned in, but it's extremely close and just needs to be driven hard a few times, those first few times giving it the current it needs, it develops a very holographic and immersive stage that's very forward and aggressive, yet wonderfully liquid, warm, and detailed. It delivers a wide stage that's not quite like being in the room with the recording, but elements can be so very close and forward that it's staging is much more like being immersed in the recording. When it burns in fully, the driver becomes more efficient and takes on a slightly different voice, warmer and smoother; the holographic quality reserved to when fed high current becomes its normal state.

This final HE6, of very warm leaning and slightly less aggressive tonality, is very different from the HEkV2, however, at high current (and the HEkV2 doesn't need anywhere near as much) the HEkV2 displays a very similar sonic character to the almost burned in HE6. It's staging is also like being immersed in the recording, however, the stage is further away; its delivery more like watching a stage from a few seats back, near enough to be close, but not forward, nor distant. There's also a gigantic verticality to the stage, not displayed by the HE6, which is much more horizontally lateral in delivery. The HEkV2 has a very full sound that leans bright and airy, but can be warm or rich, and has an excellent tonality. The dynamics of HEkV2 are totl for a planar, but doesn't compare to some electrodynamics from Focal, nor estats, and its sense of separation is totl period, better than most things I've come across. The most unique thing about the HEkV2 would probably be that, compared to the much more aggressive sounding HE6, it's a gently voiced headphone that kind of doesn't care what's thrown at it. It always sounds like itself, soft, yet incredibly detailed, it's consistent and spacious.

Lastly, the HEkV2 uses its verticality and its speed to image. It has a very fast attack that's quick like an estat, but unlike estats (namely lambda), which deliver sound in very fast 2-D layers creating excellent depth, creates images by quickly attacking from various points along its tall, vertical driver to create depth. It's a quality I've never seen mentioned in any review I've ever come across for it, however, when I first placed it on my head, it was extremely noticeable, and to me, felt unnatural (probably because of my familiarity with lambda). One other thing I'd note about it would be that with its unique treble tonality, female voices are sometimes off, excellent in tonality, but not true.

Plainly, I could say that the HEkV2 is a vastly superior headphone, and in writing this, I feel like a lunatic for letting this go, but interestingly, I'm letting this go because I actually really like my HE6 a lot more. Both are excellent, they share certain qualities and are distinct enough to both be kept, but I definitely prefer the HE6 over the HEkV2, possibly because I listen to a lot of female vocalists. Female voices are something that the HE6 handles much better than the HEkV2, whereas, the HEkV2 probably defeats it in every other category.

Once again, a big thank you to Audio Sanctuary (based in New Malden, London) for lending me this demo unit of the HE-1000 V1

Introduction

Hifiman and I have come quite a way. It was their HE400i that was my first ever planar magnetic headphone. I had gotten a great deal, for the time, on it from Taobao and was over the moon to see what the fuss was about regarding planar tech. While I liked it, I found their classic HE-500 more to my liking. Continuing my tradition with reviewing phased out Hifiman products, I’m tackling their former flagship today – the HE1000 version 1.

Specifications

Fit – Over Ear

Jack Plug – 3.5mm

Transducer Type – Planar Magnetic

Frequency Response – 8Hz – 65KHz

Impedance – 35+/-3 Ohms

Sensitivity – 90dB

Maximum Power Handling – 6W

Weight – 16.9 Oz/480g/1.06 lb














Build Quality, Comfort & Features

I’m on the fence about the use of veneer on the cups. On one hand, I am told it is to prevent cracking issues which might come about with using hardwood - but on the other hand it was released as a $3000 headphone. My bias is showing here, but this doesn’t quite lend to a premium look and Hifiman would have probably been better off going for another finish. That being said, I do kind of understand what they were going for with the headphones overall – a kind of classic look with a very modern twist with the earcup shape and drivers.

The build itself felt sturdy enough to me as the frame is made of stainless steel and feels quite durable. The earcup size is absolutely huge, easily the most space I’ve had for my ears in a full-sized headphone to date. It isn’t any sort of width that especially accomplishes this either, but the tallness of it all. This adds to the HE1000 being quite a comfortable headphone, easily wearable for long listening sessions. It weighs 480g but this weight is distributed quite evenly through the floating head strap, avoiding any issues that I found on the stock Audeze LCD-2.

The HE1000 uses 2.5mm connectors, similar to the later production HE400i and HE560 models further down the line. While not my favourite connectors, I greatly prefer them to the older SMC variants that they, thankfully, abandoned with time.


Sound

This is probably the first time I’ve reviewed a planar magnetic headphone where its presentation was a blatant alternative to my dynamic driver offerings. The most apparent difference is the bass on this. It reminds me of my once-owned Hifiman HE500 in a sense that it doesn’t seem hiked in the mid-bass region, but is rather quite linear and well extended. It’s also very clean and full sounding when the music calls for it, but in no way intrudes when it is not wanted. I would imagine that absolute bassheads might find the HE1000’s bass presentation to be a bit light, along with lacking slam and impact – but I find it far more than sufficient for all-rounder listening. While bass impact might be on the softer side, it retains good speed and decay rate.

Similarly, I didn’t find the lower midrange to be either too elevated or recessed. Its transition from the bass is natural without any overpowering or bleed. This area is what can make or break some headphones for me, as messing it up can render the whole experience a bit muddy – no such complaint with the HE1000. Rock, metal and vocal music are some of the genres I really enjoyed listening to on this headphone, lending to its ability to be a stellar all-rounder. I found the midrange itself to be enjoyably smooth and well-layered.

The detail-retrieval prowess of this headphone, while not entirely lacking, is still muted compared to several other headphones that can be obtained for its price – and well below in the case of the Sennheiser HD800/HD800S. While track separation is pretty good, texture and detail is a bit masked – instead offering a smoothed experience. That being said, there is some remarkable body in the midrange that really shows itself with vocals both male and female. Also, this is a very forgiving headphone – perhaps more than any other I’ve reviewed this year. Bad productions, poor masterings and shrill and harsh recordings are all doused in the blanket that is the HE1000’s presentation – which may be very much to your liking or a characteristic you will decry as incompatible with the concept of high fidelity.


On top of that, the staging is decently wide while possessing good depth to it – and a “tall” sound that might be related to the sheer size of the cups and drivers. There’s a slight “larger-than-life” sound compared to other headphones.

Treble performance is a bit of a mixed bag on the HE1000. I don’t really get the string texture and air that I find somewhat necessary when listening to the high string sections in orchestral music, or the bite of a saxophone in jazz music. Both instances and genres feel a bit smoothed and muted in their ability to sound truly lifelike. However, I again must commend this headphone for its pairing with rock and metal music – and cymbals, while slightly muted, still retain their crisp attributes in the percussion section of these genres.

That being said, I couldn’t shake the feeling of the treble being a bit tizzy at some points. What I mean by this is that, while not exceptionally problematic or painful, there sometimes existed too much energy along with the fact that it was thin and artificially hard sounding at some points. I’ll chalk this up to the driver having a slightly dry and brittle presentation in this area, not a deal-breaker for me but a noticeable difference from my dynamic-driver offerings.

Amping

This headphone’s ability to scale was quite a bit less, in the detail retrieval department, than my dynamic driver headphones. Rather than be infused by my most detail-oriented tubes on the Dragon Inspire IHA-1, I found it to have similar performance in this regard on the Audio-GD NFB-28. Most importantly, the latter was able to supply enough juice to flesh out the bass heft and performance – making it both full-sounding and nimble on its feet.

The difference in bass performance alone makes this a headphone that I would rather pair with a decently strong solid-state amplifier. While it wasn’t anywhere near horrible on the tube amplifier, it was a noticeable upgrade in this region without losing too much of the tube benefits. Again, this seems to scale more with current/wattage rather than tubes.

This is not an especially sensitive headphone and definitely needs an amplifier, if the above didn’t make that absolutely clear.


Comparison to the Focal Utopia

Let’s get this out of the way, the HE1000 does not nearly match the Utopia in detail retrieval, dynamics, resolution, soundstage depth, timbre and impactfulness. The Focal flagship is also better paired with tubes for further scaling and is a headphone both revealing of source gear and source material. There, honestly, isn’t a situation that I can think of (for myself) where I would pick the HE1000 over the Utopia if I had to buy only one.

That being said, I do recognise the appeal the HE1000 clearly may have over the Utopia for others who don’t share my tastes. The Utopia can be too harsh for some, its stubbornness in presenting high detail and dynamics may fatigue some and cause them to call it overly dramatic. It also is brighter than the HE1000, and lacks its forgiving nature – skewering eardrums on poorly mastered and recorded music.

The HE1000 is a smoother experience, one lacking in many ways in this head-to-head but still with merit due to its unique sound signature.


Conclusion

It’s hard to hate on the disadvantages of this headphone really. Sure, it falls into a similar trap that many planar offerings do with the slightly artificial sound in the treble – but it really is one of the most non-fatiguing and tonally rich headphones that I’ve heard to date. I even, for now, prefer it to the Hifiman Susvara – which I thought had a distinct peak in the treble that I found hard to fathom.

While it could very well be someone’s all-rounder, I personally could see this as being a nice complement to my Focal Utopia. Its softer characteristic is sometimes needed, and its forgiving nature is sometimes appreciated. It is such a musical headphone honestly and, while noting its flaws, I couldn’t even feel especially critical. It’s a very cohesive listening experience that I’d honestly recommend to anyone to try at least. In a way, it’s more inoffensive than the Utopia, which (despite its great attributes) may seem too dramatic for some in its presentation. The HE1000 prefers to toe the line between laid back and energetic, and is somehow engaging for it.

EDIT - Half a star dropped. The Edition X gets very close in performance and the HE1000 is not perfect, pointing out the 4-5K peak and only decent vocal performance, hence 4.5/5.
DISCLAIMER: Please note this review was officially written for and is property of Headphone.Guru and was published on January 25th, 2016. It is pasted here on behalf of Headphone.Guru as well as the manufacturer. Hope you enjoy it!

   
 
Read the original review here: http://headphone.guru/best-of-both-worlds-the-one-of-a-kind-hifiman-he1000/#sthash.qw7U3wdH.dpuf  
 
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS – THE ONE OF A KIND HiFiMAN HE1000
                                                                                            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
HiFiMAN has always had a special place in my heart. My audiophile journey began back in 2012 with their former mighty flagship, the HE-6, which is notoriously known for not only being very demanding of power  but also for its pickiness about what it is paired with. While my setup was far from ideal at that point [a cheap DAC and speaker amplifier], I still enjoyed listening to it quite a bit. Even today, many consider it one of the best headphones available. Time has passed since and I moved on, owning many different headphones, from the excellent AKG K7XX to the beautiful Audio Technica ATH-W1000X, as I fleshed out my sonic preferences and experimented with different gear.
 
Since last July, my favorite headphone has once again been one of HiFiMAN’s own – the HE560. This headphone performed better than the HE-6 on my budget-conscious setup and scaled higher when I upgraded later. This new-born planar-magnetic headphone performed admirably and I found myself in a temporary state of bliss. However, I knew there were still many headphones out there that was yet to hear.
 
This was about to change the upcoming August, when I flew to London for the first annual Europe-held Canjam. There, I finally tried some of the current and past world-class headphones, which I wanted to hear for so long. There was one in particular, however, that in my view managed to steal more of the spotlight than the rest. One that made me really eager to hear and review it on a gear of my own. Which brings me to HiFiMAN’s newest flagship, the HE1000.
 
The HEK – what the HE1000 is often called – got to me earlier this month, delivered by DHL. The packaging is designed so that the HEK box rests securely, fixed in place by six clear protective pieces, one for each side. Removing the top piece reveals the beautiful headphone box. While all next generation HiFiMAN offerings come in all-new, improved and fancier packages, this one tops the others with its luxuriousness factor. The rigid wooden box is fully coated in grained leather, with a squared aluminum middle section, where the letters ‘’HIFIMAN HE1000’’ are imbued, along with company’s logo, giving it a clean yet classy look. The cover slowly opened as I lifted the metallic buckle, revealing the owner’s guide as well as additional paperwork. Underneath this layer laid the headphones, nested in a soft cutout, with cables hidden under a removable compartment in the middle.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Speaking of accessories, the HEK comes with 3 sets of cables. The first one is 3 meters long, terminated by an XLR connector, the second, also 3 meters, ends with a 6.35mm plug and the last one is 1.5 meters with a 3.5mm end. All are made from crystalline silver & copper, sleeved in a fabric jacket and terminated into the headphone with 2.5mm mini plugs. The cables are fairly unwieldy and stiff but they are quite long and as far as I can tell, fairly well made as I’ve been using the 6.35mm cable without issues. If you were to buy them separately, they together retail for over 500$. Adding the warranty and owner’s manual, there are no other accessories in the box. I think a nice stand or case would be welcome given the price but with headphones like these that will be kept at home and pampered, this is less of an issue than it would be with a pair of closed back portables. The stand depicted is HiFiMAN’s own, which sells for 20$ and gets the job done.
 
Holding the HEK in my hands, they feel like a product of decent craftsmanship. The materials used are all of premium quality. The headband frame is made from stainless steel, the suspension strap that rests on your head is premium leather. The yokes, grilles and ear-cup rims are all steel. A big part of the headphone is occupied by two chunky wooden veneer strips. The newly developed 2.5mm metal sockets sit at an angle near the bottom of the cups, preventing the cables from rubbing on your shoulders whenever you put the headphone on. HiFiMAN made sure there would be no obstacles in the way of sonic reproduction, by utilizing a new back cover system – shades, which improve upon the previous grille design. At the back of each ear-cup are 11 horizontal ‘shades’ with a thin grill layer underneath, combining for a more transparent solution with the added benefit of protection.
 
Previously, avid audiophiles would have to modify the headphone by replacing the sound-obtrusive stock grilles with something more transparent, to attain the most faithful sonic reproduction, but with this aspect now remediedthere is no need for any modifications. The UltraPads, HiFiMAN’s newest ear-pads exclusively developed for the super-sized HE1000, are made from protein leather, with velour sewn on top for added comfort. These headphones are indeed physically the largest I’ve ever owned and they do feel a bit flimsy when held. This is mainly because the ear-cups rotate and swivel freely and when rotated, produce a squeak-like sound. Despite this, the overall finish looks great without any rough edges or imperfections and I cannot see any reasons for long term durability concerns.
 
The reason for their gargantuan size is a valid one as inside the cups live some very special drivers. These measure 131x100mm across and their thickness is calculated in nanometers, making them the world’s thinnest and possibly largest planar-magnetic drivers ever made. I am not quite sure what material they utilized, but there is a video on the internet where it is dropped on the ground. As the feather-light nano-grade substance slowly spirals and dances in the air, I found myself wondering at just how far technology has progressed in recent years.
 
Putting the headphones on feels great. They are twenty grams shy of being 500g, but they don’t feel heavy and I can wear them for hours on end without fatigue. This is due to the reworked headband system, which distributes weight evenly across my whole cranium, making these newest planars one of the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn, with ideal clamp right out of the box. The pads themselves are cavernous and my large ears fit inside very comfortably, instantly forming a perfect seal. I do wish they were stylized slightly more akin to the Focus pads, meaning even thicker and more cushioned, but the UltraPads still make for very fine pads with good depth and softness. The velour topped protein leather allows for excellent heat management, mitigating any issues that a leather contact area could create. The stainless headband is adjusted by tactile ‘clicks’ and feels secure, but I wish it were a bit smaller. To fit me comfortably, it has to be set to its lowest possible setting, meaning there is practically no leeway whatsoever for adjustment. Now, I do have a smaller head, but this was not an issue with the HE560, where I was on the second or third ‘click’. These still do rank up among the most comfortable headphones, if a tiny step below the pillow-like comfort of the 560/400i/400S.
 
With other necessities out of the way, what does this expensive pair of oversized headphones sound like? Initial Canjam impressions were positive, but show conditions can notably affect perception. I made sure I gave the HE1000 at least 200 hours of recommended burn-in before listening critically. My music taste spreads across a broad range of genres including 90s electronic pop, chamber jazz, large instrumental pieces and alternative rock music, with varying degree of mastering quality, which made sure the headphones were certainly put through their paces. In addition I also played games and watched movies. My current setup is an Audio-gd SA31SE amplifier, a vintage Theta Digital DS Pro Basic II R2R DAC, coupled with a Breeze Audio DX-U8 USB DDC and a USB isolator. Thousands of files flow through JRiver MC20 from my PC.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The first track I listened to with the HEK was ‘A Scattered Moment’ by Hidenori Shoji. This is a simpler instrumental piece, but it carries incredible emotional impact for me and I have heard it countless times before with different headphones. But what an impression it left! The piano starts off shy, delicate, moving from right to center and right again. The timbre and tone is pitch perfect. Individual key strokes echo through the air and fill the whole space. Then a synth roars through the air, rising up, disappearing slowly until the last tone melts into space. A drum kicks through, intertwined with a cymbal crash. The cymbal is not harsh and decays naturally with excellent timbral accuracy, while the definition of the drum is simply stunning as the impact is also felt and the vibration disappears to the far right. Other instruments start filling the stage, throwing an image so big, natural and real I am completely taken aback. A knock-on-the-door-like synth hits a few times through the song. It was always difficult to hear but now it is oh so clear. The balance is perfect throughout. The track ends. I open my eyes… Wow! That was my first home experience.
 
Now to describe the sonic characteristics more meticulously. The bass is very impressive. The sub-bass is tuneful and deep, while never bleeding into other frequencies without any trace of sounding boomy and also  produced  a tight yet tactile feeling. The mid-bass punches well with moderate impact that never overbears and kicks decently. There are songs where it might seem a bit on the soft side, but then there are tracks where it feels very adequate and recording dependent. Acoustic bass does show less variability than synthetic. The transition into upper bass – lower midrange is seamless. I am quite amazed by the overall bass response as the sub-bass is integrated expertly into the mix and the whole low range just sounds so clean, textured and tight with zero bleed as if it were produced by a separate woofer. Believe me when I say the bass surprised me on more than one occasion.
 
Midrange is likewise stellar, smooth, even and musically rich. It sounds very coherent throughout and gives great presence to most instruments from lower to upper, including guitars, pianos and violins. Sometimes I only wish vocals had a bit more heft to them. It is not that they sound recessed, rather they sound ever-so-slightly  small at times. This again depends on the mastering to a substantial degree although  it is something I noticed recurring. Midrange registers do sound enveloping, cohesive and natural, and like the bass was well incorporated into the encompassing mix.
 
It is fair to preface this by saying that I am more sensitive to lower treble than most other people and it should be taken into consideration as it is very relevant here. The treble area is slightly different to the smooth bass & midrange  in that it is boosted from 4 through 7KH and then dips a bit and later rises again, extending up to 15K. As one of my few criticisms, this enhances presence and sometimes gives some recordings some  sibilance in male and female vocals. As such, this also has the butterfly effect of injecting a pleasant boost of energy into recordings that need it and would otherwise sound dull or muffled. Also, because essentially the whole lower treble area is boosted it is less problematic than if there was only a single peak, causing less trouble. Minding this raise, the treble sounds accurate, delicate and extended. Lots of air surrounds instruments and voices, helping to create a more convincing and realistic presentation. All secondary harmonics, like air, timbre and decay are preserved to their fullest. A very clear and open treble presentation, which, as with most neutral headphones, I would not pair with dead-neutral or bright gear.
 
Detail retrieval is amazing. Simply phenomenal. Now, I thought I’ve heard everything there was to hear in my favorite tracks but the HEK proves me wrong again and again with its subtle cues, extraordinary layering and clarity. All the minute details are not forced on you but are instead presented in a very natural manner, without ever sounding strident or artificially enhanced. This makes it easier to follow any instrument at will. The dynamic range is virtually infinite, allowing for both very fine and nuanced cues and grand and explosive impact. The HEK manages to reveal all the details without ever losing musicality.
 
Soundstage is the most realistic and convincing I have heard yet. It almost makes regular stereo recordings sound binaural. Sounds come from all directions and spread wide and deep, filling the stage evenly with musical bliss. Never did anything sound congested, too distant or mushed. As someone who also likes using headphone surround for games & movies, this attribute is very crucial for me and the HE1000 delivers here on all counts. It simply allows me to just get immersed completely in whatever I am currently doing.
 
Now this wouldn’t be possible without exquisite imaging & instrument separation and while all recent HiFiMAN planars do admirably in these areas, the HEK simply takes it to another level. Instruments just pop up and disappear, locked in their own little airy bubble, never smeared. Locating them within space is easy, with multi-vocal tracks deserving special mention as this is where I found many headphones to struggle.
 
To briefly compare, I would like to throw in my previous favorite headphone, the HiFiMAN HE-560 as in many ways, the HE1000 sounds like an evolution of sorts. On the HEK, the bass digs deeper, the midrange is more articulate and the treble is more even in its presentation. The vocals sound more like real voices, though the way the HE560 does vocals is also very special. The soundstage is one of the most apparent improvements as it is bigger, more dimensional and projects more evenly from all directions. Imaging was already excellent on the HE560 but the HE1000 outclasses it still with even more accuracy. The HEK always manages to straddle the line between analytical and musicality perfectly, revealing all the details yet keeping the experience musical and while the HE560 comes close, it does not quite reach that line. Price is an entirely different matter of course and it is the one area where I feel the HE1000 is squarely beat.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Retailing for 2999$, the latest HiFiMAN flagship finds itself priced in the top tiers of the headphone pricing echelon. With many great offerings for significantly less, starting with the AKG K7XX and HiFiMAN’s own HE400S and going all the way to the Mr. Speakers Ether, Audeze LCD-X and Sennheiser HD800. These established themselves as excellent sounding headphones and represent a contextually incredible value for about half the money. But they did not wow me to the same extent and I believe that indeed at this price point, it becomes a matter of personal enjoyment rather than technical prowess. Preferences have always played a major part in decision making, especially this high up and the HE1000 simply comes closest to my idea of ‘perfection’ that I have heard in any headphone yet. I will continue to enjoy this HEK of a headphone, while playing with my setup to hear just what else the astonishingly-analytic-yet-marvelously-musical HiFiMAN HE1000 has to offer. For those looking to spend less, the just released HiFiMAN Edition X is worthy of consideration.
 
Headphone Specifications:
Type: Planar-magnetic driver, full-size, open-back design
Frequency Response: 8Hz – 65KHz
Impedance: 35 +-3 Ω
Efficiency: 90dB/mW
Weight: ~480g
MSRP: 2999$